2023 US Classic (Pre Meet and WAG Juniors Discussion)

[Yarotska]

They judge based on what they see. A gymnast might stick the landing over a pit but take 5 steps forward on hard surface. At 2019 world trials some gymnasts had extra rebound due to the mat, that still cost them in their trials scores.

 

[rlayt]

How many Chengs are we going to see?

 

[MaryClare]

More than the Beijing telephone directory

 

[RedBirdie]

I have no idea what sort of sorcery they’re doing at WCC, because her full was always twisted right into the ground. I’m shocked she can put a Cheng to her feet.

She’s the next Aly Raisman/MyKayla Skinner. I’ll be sobbing in the corner.

 

[RedBirdie]

That looks like an ACL waiting to happen. She’s barely even rotated

Every vault she does looks like an ACL waiting to happen. So did Aly Raisman. So did MyKayla Skinner. So did Shawn Johnson. Yet the gymnastics Gods see fit to spare chucked fugly vaults.

 

[tsarinajen]

It’s a super blurry screen grab… but I don’t know how many of these she’d get on to the ground before getting hurt … and I think we can all agree we don’t want to see her hurt.

 

[RedBirdie]

I’ll be watching her vault podium training with great interest.

 

[Sasha]

Sort of - tbf, her form in the air is much better than either Raisman or Skinner (or it looked to be so in the video). But that landing is no bueno.

 

[Doug1233]

I have more faith in a Jordan or a Skye Cheng than I do in a Roberson Cheng.

Skye with a Cheng makes the Paris team IMO.

A vault rotation of Skye, Jordan and Simone, all doing Chengs, would be outrageous.

Then you want two bars girls (Suni and Shilese, or even Gabby) and your team is pretty much set. You could put any of those five on beam and floor and you’d be fine.

The main loser out of a Skye Cheng is Jade. She becomes pretty much useless in a 3-up situation. But a great alternate.

 

[rlayt]

The Cheng Thing. It’s gonna for real be better than the United States of Amanar.

 

[MaryClare]

The Cheng Thing. It’s gonna for real be better than the United States of Amanar.

Oh well, at least it’ll be downgraded next quad.

Not to talk down the Landis, but I think we might be massively overestimating their ability to make Roberson’s gymnastics vaguely watchable. The gymnasts they developed from a young age, Kocian and Bauman had beautiful lines and Simone and Jordan they inherited with good basic form. They’ve never had to turn around a lack of fundamental basics before. Things like the onodi attempt remaining in her beam routine does not fill me with confidence

 

[gymfan]

There is no Cheng on hard surface by Blakely or Chiles. So far there are only three Chengs that are not “IF” in the US: Biles, Carey, Roberson.

Carey will hardly be a loser. The chance of her competing Amanar with Cheng as a vault specialist is significantly higher than any Cheng on “paper”.

 

[gymfan]

Landis are more like code strategists. Also, if her Onodi doesn’t incur huge deduction, why Landis take it out?

 

[YurchenkoLoop]

Carey will hardly be a loser. The chance of her competing Amanar with Cheng as a vault specialist is significantly higher than any Cheng on “paper”.

I think both Chiles and Blakely with Cheng + DTY are more valuable than Carey with Cheng + Amanar

 

[MaryClare]

It shouldn’t even receive credit!

 

[gymfan]

First, Cheng from Chiles and Blakely is still an IF.
Cheng from BIles: big score, consistent
Cheng from Carey: good score, consistent
Cheng from Roberson: probably mid to high 8E, consistency unknown
Cheng from Blakely / Chiles: none

Cheng + DTY being more valuable than Carey’s Cheng + Amanar is more a wishful thinking. Bringing back skills is always more probable than any massive upgrade. Speaking of upgrade, Roberson will be the first one to overcome mental block and bring a new Cheng outside from Biles, Carey and Angrade. Plus, Carey’s Amanar can still reach a good score and has a 0.4 D buffer.

 

[gymfan]

If FIG judges have devalued her Onodi, Landis would have thrown her Onodi away. FIG devalued a lot of switch leap half and side jump with turn on beam. Her Onodi however has not been devalued this year.

 

[RedBirdie]

I never thought the Landis could make Roberson vaguely watchable. The building blocks of her gymnastics are so bad, they would have had to spend an entire year re-teaching basics.

And nothing I’ve seen from their time at WCC has suggested they’re interested in having gymnasts to clean but less difficult skills. They pack in as much difficulty as possible, execution be damned.

 

[YurchenkoLoop]

Cheng + DTY being more valuable than Carey’s Cheng + Amanar is more a wishful thinking.

The key being that Blakely and Chiles are more valuable on the other events, so they’re worthwhile even without an Amanar. Chiles used to do a beautiful Amanar but I’m not predicting the return of that skill. I’m predicting a Cheng from her because she has shown the second best Lopez of all time with considerable height, distance, and air-time time as well as well-controlled landings

 

[gymfan]

I believe they compete for the AA spot (with Biles / Lee / Jones / 2024 Douglas, all of them are great bars workers with 6+D) than a VT / FX specialist spot. The US team usually bring top 3-4 AAers. If they don’t get that AA spot, it would be an upheld battle against a FX / VT specialist.

Also, upgrading vault also needs ability to overcome mental block. If they can upgrade, that is great. But there are more cases for saying upgrade than actually showing upgrade on vault. Before they actually show a legit Cheng, Carey and Roberson are more likely to compete for that specialist spot.